‘Ninety bodies found’ at Libyan ISIL camp bombed by US

Libyan forces who drove ISIL from Sirte say the extremists were using the targeted area south-west of the town for training.

TRIPOLI // Libyan forces say they have found about 90 bodies of militants at an ISIL camp hit by US air strikes last week.

The forces posted pictures of camouflaged desert hideouts and said the sites were being used for training.

Shells, suicide belts and booby traps had been recovered there, they said.

Two suspected militants were arrested and four others who refused to surrender were killed.

The forces, led by brigades from the city of Misurata, drove ISIL from its stronghold in the coastal town of Sirte in December after a seven-month campaign backed US air strikes.

The Pentagon said last week that more than 80 militants, some plotting attacks in Europe, were killed when B-2 bombers dropped about 100 precision guided munitions on ISIL camps about 45 kilometres south-west of Sirte.

It said the strikes targeted militants who had fled from Sirte, but the Misurata-led forces said most of those found at the sites of the strikes were not among those who had fled Sirte.

The forces gave no details of the militants’ nationalities or where they were thought to have been previously.

Pictures posted alongside their statement showed desert shelters covered with canvas or plastic sheeting and branches, and a hideout dug into the sand.

There were also pictures of a number of several dead bodies, burnt out vehicles, weapons and satellite phones.

About 70 bodies had been found in one location and 20 bodies at another spot. The forces did not say how far apart the two sites were.

ISIL’s defeat in Sirte left the extremist group without any territory under its control in Libya, although it has a presence in other parts of the country.

Libyan and western security officials have long warned that some fighters escaped from Sirte before the battle for the town, or during its early stages. ISIL leaders have said they intend to regroup from outside Sirte.

* Reuters